No concrete plans
Borden-Carleton mayor encouraged by discussions about Confederation Bridge construction yard cleanup, but future is still uncertain
There may finally be a plan for the future of the old Confederation Bridge fabrication yard.
The Town of Borden-Carleton met with the provincial government in late June to discuss the future of the site, and Mayor Dean Sexton said he was encouraged by what he heard.
According to Sexton, the province tentatively agreed to clean up the yard and remove the towering concrete edifices that still dot the shorefront property.
The plan would be completed in three phases, costing an estimated $700,000 each.
“To me, that was progress,” said Sexton.
“Now I hope they carry through with their promises. The thing is we have to wait and they didn’t give us a timeframe,” he said.
The officials they met with said it may be later in the year before cabinet makes any official commitments to fund the cleanup project, if they even decide to do so.
Still, some news is better than no news, for Sexton.
The site, which was used to fabricate sections of the nearby Confederation Bridge, sits on several acres in the Town of Borden-Carleton and has been all but abandoned for the past 18 years. The province purchased the site several years ago.
In an e-mailed statement, a spokesperson for the Department of Economic Development and Tourism said the department is hopeful something can be done for the site, soon.
“While no concrete plans have yet been established, we are optimistic that the province will soon be in a position to begin making changes to the area,” they wrote.
“There have been preliminary discussions with several parties interested in the property, but those discussions are in the very early stages.”
The town has some ideas as to what it would like to see done with the site, added Sexton, but they’re concentrating on getting it cleaned up before they make any firm plans.
“We really don’t know what. It could be used for a subdivision or some businesses; we’re going to see how these three phases (of remediation) go, then we’ll look at what comes next. But it’s going to be great to get that out of there,” said Sexton.